There are moments in fashion when one must pause, breathe, and marvel at the exquisite absurdity of it all. This season, that moment arrives in the form of the open handbag: a purse carried not simply ajar, but deliberately and theatrically wide open, as though whispering to the world, “Come, inspect my private kingdom — I have nothing to conceal.” It is a trend of paradoxes: audacious yet delicate, carefree yet precarious, glamorous yet foolish.
And yet, fashion — that capricious sovereign — has decreed it chic.
Runways from Paris to Milan have presented unfastened bags with the solemnity of a newly anointed monarch. At recent soirées, the style set followed suit with almost zealous devotion. Sarah Jessica Parker herself appeared at the Booker Prize ceremony clutching a glimmering Fendi bag, its sequined interior unapologetically exposed for all to admire — perhaps the most glamorous invitation to petty theft London has seen in years.
It is undeniable: the open handbag is no accident, but a statement.
The Theatre of Exposure
One must admit, there is something irresistibly romantic about the aesthetic. An unfastened bag carries a sense of soft disarray — a curated vulnerability. It suggests the wearer is too absorbed in intellectual pursuits, too assured, too magnificently important to fret about a clasp or zipper.
The open bag becomes an extension of personality: a quiet declaration that one’s life is full, abundant, and perhaps a touch chaotic in the most enviable way. Designers appear enthralled by this symbolism. No longer is the bag’s exterior the star of the show; instead, the interior — once a secret place for receipts, lip balm and private miscellany — is elevated to spectacle.
One might say the fashion world is making a philosophical point: the modern woman is no longer defined by what she conceals, but by what she is willing to reveal.
But Then, Of Course, There Is London
It must be said plainly — and the honesty may sting — that while the open handbag may flourish in the rarefied air of fashion events, it is spectacularly ill-suited to the streets of London.
The British capital, grand as it may be, is not famed for gentle hands or saintly intentions. The notion of strolling through the Underground or weaving through Oxford Street while one’s bag hangs wide open is not so much chic as it is an open love letter to pickpockets. Indeed, London’s thieves — agile, opportunistic, and often unfairly energised — have been honing their craft for centuries. To tempt them with an unfastened handbag is to perform charity they did not ask for.
One might argue that the trend represents a certain aristocratic disregard for risk — a performance of nonchalance. But I maintain that there is a fine line between nonchalance and naïveté, and London tests that line with unrelenting enthusiasm.
Where Fashion Meets Folly
Fashion has never been a realm of practicality; that much we all accept. But it has always danced with reason in some delicate measure. This new trend, however, severs the dance entirely. It revels in imprudence. It invites danger. It glamorises the very vulnerability women have historically been urged to guard against.
And perhaps that is its purpose — rebellion for rebellion’s sake, the thrill of tempting fate, the seduction of danger dressed in couture. Yet one must ask: at what cost?
Is a beautifully exposed bag worth losing one’s phone, keys, or cherished lipstick? Is the performance of effortless elegance worth the actual effort of filing a police report?
At times, fashion’s love affair with chaos borders on the unhinged.
A Sensible Compromise for the Modern Lady
To the discerning reader of Carte Blanche Magazine, here is the wisest course:
Embrace the idea of the trend — the unstudied elegance, the undone glamour — without surrendering your personal effects to the winds of destiny. Carry an open handbag at a private event, at a luncheon, at a garden party where the only threat is someone’s poorly behaved spaniel. But when wandering through London, adopt a more cunning strategy:
A beautifully structured bag whose top is left suggestively open, yet whose valuables rest safely within a discreet inner pouch. A wink to the trend, without the consequences of it.
That, I believe, is the mark of a woman who understands fashion — not merely follows it.
In Conclusion
The open handbag is emblematic of our times: bold, expressive, and a touch reckless. It dazzles on runways, photographs beautifully, and offers that intoxicating sense of imperfection that fashion currently adores. But let us not confuse artistic expression with daily practicality.
London is a city of history, grandeur, ambition — and opportunists.
And in such a city, a lady may flaunt many things, but the contents of her handbag should not be one of them.